The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-13
Democratic Policy.
PEECH
OF THE
HON. W. D. HILL
Delivered at Marion on Thurs
day Evening, Sept. 90, 1887.
Yellow Citizens of Marion County:

Fellow Citizens of Marion County:
am here this evening by appointment
bf the Democratic State Executive Com
kittee with your approval, to discuss the
kolitical issues pending in this canvass.
This is the second time | have had the
pleasure Of addressing the Democracy of
Marion county. The first time was in
1877, the year in which we elected Cover
hor Bishop, the whole Democratic State
ticket, and Democratic Legislature. It
was the year, too, after Mr.. Tilden was
cheated out of the Presidential office, to
which he was honestly elected. The times
have changed somewhat since then. At
that time we had been trying for years to
elect Democratic President, and even
after we had succeeded, we were deprived
pf the fruits of a hard earned victory.
Four years later we were defeated, but in
1884 Grover Cleveland was elected Presi-
dent; he was duly inaugurated March 4,
1885, and he is President now.
Is is well enough at this time to recall
some Of the incidents and issues of these
campaigns, in order that we may arrive at
correct conclusions for the present and the
future.
In every Presidential campaign since 1868,
notably in 1872, in 1916, in 1880 and in
1884, it was openly asserted by the Repub-
can newspapers and stump orators, that a
change OF the national administration from
Republican to Democratic hands meant
national disaster, bankruptcy and ruin.
That if the Democratic party were re-
stored to power, manufactures would stop:
The banks would fail; the pensions would
stop; the colored people would be remanded
10 slavery; that their political rights
wou' be curtailed; and harder times would
be the result. This was the campaign
charge of 1872, and Grant was elected, and
the panic of 1873 followed This was the
same charge in 1876 and Hayes was made
President. The Republicans remained in
power and the panic Of 1877 followed
with the most extensive labor strikes and
destruction of property every known in
this country.e This was the same CRY in
1880, and Garfield was elected and !, hard
times came, followed with the closing of
the furnaces and factories in 1888, and the
decrease in wages in 1884 The people of
the United States having been three times
deceived, came to the conclusion that it
could be no worse under Democratic ad-
ministration. So they elected Cleveland
President. and now what is the resultp
Have the factories stopped running? Have
the pensions been decreased or stopped?
Have the banks failed? Have the colored
people been remanded to slavery, or their
political rights in any way curtailed?
In short has single charge made by our
political opponents during all these years
proved to be true, or single prediction
verified? But in all these campaigns the
Democrats also made charges against the
Republicans, of bad administrations and
Of evils they promised to reform; they
charged the Republican party with extrav-
sgant administration of the general gov
ernment; they charged the Republican
partys with corruption in office; they
charged them with gross abuse of the Civil
Service; they charged them with ruthless
squandering of the public domain for the
benefit of corporations and monopolies;
they charged them with stirring up and
keeping alive sectional animosities by re-
kindling the dying embers of the war.
The Democrats promised an economical
administration of the general government.
They promised to reform the Civil Service
under the law. They promised that the
rights of the colored people should in no
wise be interfered with. They promised
fidelity to the interests of the soldiers.
They promised to restore the public do
main to the people in all cases where the
RfauUS WcI6 uao&Iuou, anu WQOl0SOul6 leg
isla,ion for the protection of labor; and
they promised rapid extinguishment of
the public debt and restoration of frater-
nal feeling in all the States. They prom
ised also resuscitation of the navy, which
the eRepublicans had allowed to become
worthless for service. Wehave now had
little more than two years of the Demo
cratic administration and the books are
posted. hope tonight to enumerate
few of the reforms instituted by this admin
ton.
THE PUBLIC LANDS
Between March 4, 1861, when Mr.. Lin
coin became President. and March 4, 1885,
when Mr.. Cleveland became President, the
Republican party nearly all of that time
were in possession of both the Legislative
and executive departments of the Govern
ment. During that time they gave away to
railroad corporations more than one hun
dred millions of acres of the public lands
without dollar Of compensation. They
also loaned the credit of the Government to
one of these railroad corporations for one
hundred million of dollars and required
the people to pay the interest on the bonds.
Prior to March 8, 1861, no public lands
were granted by Congress to private cor
porations. The quantities of lands grant
cd by Congress to corporations subsequent
10 that date and prior to March A, 1885,
wheno Cleveland became President, is
estimated at LAG. 795. .304 acres. Under the